BASELWORLD 2018 : Chopard L.U.C. All-in-One

In 2010, Chopard marked their 150th birthday with the release of what they described as their most complex model to date – the ‘L.U.C. All-in-One 150’, of which there were fifteen examples made. Now, eight years later, they are re-visiting this watch with the launch, at Baselworld 2018, of the ‘L.U.C. All-in-One’, in two 10-piece editions in 46mm rose gold or platinum cases.

I like a uncomplicated name, and ‘All-in-One’ is a pretty matter of fact moniker, but what exactly are the ‘all’? Well this model has two sides, and between them, a remarkable fourteen indications, including a perpetual calendar and astronomical functions.

Let’s start with the front.

A hand-guillochéd dial decoration radiating from the double window of the big date display at 12 o’clock is a common feature to both versions of this model. However, the platinum edition has a gray-blue dial and the 18k rose gold model, a verdigris dial. Both dials are made of solid gold and feature applied hour markers, dauphine hours and minutes hands, baton-style hands (rhodium-finished on the platinum model, gilded on the rose gold model) on the sub dials, which have snailed motifs.

On the dial side, in addition to the traditional time indication, there is a perpetual calendar, a date, and a tourbillon. Starting with the big date at 12 o’clock, going clockwise, there are month and leap year indications at 3 o’clock, a tourbillon with small seconds hand at 6 o’clock, and in a combined display at 9 o’clock, the perpetual calendar’s day-of-the-week indicator and a 24-hour display.

The back is where the ‘more complicated complications’, so to speak, appear. There is an equation of time (the difference between true solar time and mean time) calculator, a (seven day) power reserve indicator, a day/ night indication, and Geneva-calibrated displays for sunrise and sunset, all surrounding the large Synodicorbital moon phase.

Responsible for powering all of this is the manual wind Calibre L.U.C 05.01-L, 516 parts, 42 jewels, four mainspring barrels, and 28,800VPH, with a COSC chronometer certification thrown in for good measure. The movement has a diametre of 33.00mm and a thickness of 11.75mm, which means that the 46mm has to have a certain degree of thickness (18.50mm) to accommodate for this.

Learning about the Equation of Time complication may be your biggest worry once this watch is on your wrist, but becoming one of the twenty to own one is probably going to be less difficult than saving for it. The U.S. pricing on the rose gold model is USD407,000 and for the platinum version, USD423,000.